Mage: The Ascension
Mage: The Ascension is a roleplaying game in the storyteller system based on concepts of sorcery and mysticism, with elements of dark fantasy. It was published by White Wolf, Inc. and is part of the shared continuity known as the "World of Darkness", which includes similarly themed games such as Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse. The game was designed by Stewart Wieck, Christopher Earley, Stephan Wieck, Bill Bridges, Sam Chupp and Andrew Greenberg. The first edition hardcover was released in 1993. The concept of Mage: The Ascension was re-tooled in 2005 as Mage: The Awakening. Description Reality is not fixed, but rather a set of agreed upon assumptions enforced by the collective will of humanity, the Sleepers. Mages are those people who recognize that reality is not static, and realize that through the application of their will, usually channeled through rituals or other similar "mystical" or "scientific" practices, reality can be changed. The specifics of their own belief, called a Paradigm, guides them into joining either one of the nine mystical Traditions (an ancient fellowship of mages of varying points of view), one of the five conventions of the Technocracy (an organization founded at the beginning of the age of reason to bring science and truth to humanity), or to strike out on their own as Disparates (unaffiliated mages), Marauders (mages whose paradigm has overwhelmed their sense of reality), or Nephandi (mages seeking to destroy or corrupt the world). The central theme of Mage is the search for Ascension, not only for the individual but for all of mankind. What Ascension is, and how it is achieved is purposely left undefined. Factions The Traditions * Akashic Brotherhood * Celestial Chorus * Cult of Ecstasy * Dreamspeakers * Euthanatos * Order of Hermes * Sons of Ether * Verbena * Virtual Adepts The Technocracy * Iteration X * New World Order * Progenitors * Syndicate * Void Engineers Non-affiliated * Hollow Ones * Marauders * Nephandi The Spheres Each faction of Mage specializes in one or multiple families of power known as Spheres. Spheres function as an aspect of reality and includes various sub-sects of abilities. Although any Mage can be trained to learn any sphere of magic, most specialize in the magic utilized by the faction they belong to. * Correspondence * Entropy * Forces * Life * Matter * Mind * Prime * Spirit * Time Supplements Handbooks * Book of Mirrors: The Mage Storytellers Guide * Book of Secrets * Book of Shadows: The Players Guide for Mage: The Ascension * Mage Storytellers Companion * Mage Storytellers Handbook Storyteller books * Mage Chronicles, Volume 1 * Mage Chronicles, Volume 2 * Mage Chronicles, Volume 3 Tradition books * Tradition Books: Akashic Brotherhood * Tradition Books: Celestial Chorus * Tradition Books: Cult of Ecstasy * Tradition Books: Dreamspeakers * Tradition Books: Euthanatos * Tradition Books: Hollow Ones * Tradition Books: Order of Hermes * Tradition Books: Sons of Ether * Tradition Books: Verbena * Tradition Books: Virtual Adepts Technocracy books * Technocracy: Iteration X * Technocracy: N.W.O. * Technocracy: Progenitors * Technocracy: Syndicate * Technocracy: Void Engineers Notes & Trivia * The Mage: The Ascension roleplaying game is part of the greater "World of Darkness" storytelling theme. * The Traditions are generally treated as protagonists in the storyteller system, whereas factions of The Technocracy are treated as antagonists. However, all of this is subject to change due to the whims of the storyteller. * Average humans who are unaware or do not believe in the existence of magic are called Sleepers. Because Sleepers make up the majority of the world, their belief structure is key towards the establishment of known reality. The actions of a mage is in contrast to that accepted reality. * When a Mage utilizes what is known as "vulgar magic", which is a magic effect that blatantly violates the perceived dynamics of reality, they accrue Paradox, which is the elemental forces of magic punishing them in bizarre and sometimes traumatic ways. This effect is known as Backlash. A savvy mage implements his talents in such a way that his or her effects may be construed by Sleepers as an act of improbable coincidence. This is called coincidental magic. External Links * Mage: The Ascension at Wikipedia * * Mage: The Ascension at the White Wolf Wiki